After the 9 hell days in Vegas for the SIA show, it’s a 3 week tour of being at the on-snow demo’s for me that keeps me going. This makes me happy, as my job responsibilities include such daunting tasks as:
Pulling out my credit card to buy dinners and drinks
Ride with accounts and talk shop on the chairlifts vs. trying to make a ½ hour appointment at Vegas last a ½ hour when you can take care of it in 3 minutes.
Get to know the real hero’s of our business, the shop kids
Watch our reps get shit handled and try to figure out how we can do a better job to make shit easier for them
Get my industry bro on, “yea bud, you’re brands fucking killing it this year!” Slap!
Ride the compititions product and figure out what’s good, bad and or ugly
And lastly as Dave Graves once said, “Go and just be Johan,” whatever that means.
I’ve ridden a shit load of sticks over the last two weeks and wrote down some thoughts:
Ride
Concept UL 59 – Man oh man did I love this stick. Last years favorite board I demo’d was a Burton Custom X (yes I said it) and this thing gave the X a royal spanking. Light, lively, fun and predictable. The Slime wall sidewalls are real tech in my opinion, vs. the bullshit saw blade edge claims. It makes the board feel a lot damper than what you accustomed to feeling when you ride a Ride. It made me feel like a better snow slider, only problem is that it’s $750 or so. Which is bullshit.
Ride Kink – Their price point jib stick at $339 or so is pretty sweet. 3 degree factory bevel on the edges is a damn good idea as this stick is gonna be buttering more muffins than pow and the bevel provides a hang up free alternative to really rounding out your edges.
Ride Binding with adjustable canting foot bed – I don’t know the name of the binding but it’s the new shit that doesn’t have some stupid bandana hanging off it. Has a total base plate covering foot bed made out of nylon and glass that you can adjust some screws and cant the foot bed. Cool idea, just a fucking nightmare to set up. I thought I was setting up a pair of Flow’s when I was mounting these bad boys. Riding wise, the bindings were comfortable as all hell. They didn’t feel like the usual steel girders feeling that aluminum bindings give you. By the way, I fucking hate aluminum bindings. They suck, in my opinion. My fucking teeth filings seem to come unglued when I ride em, but anyway these guys rode really damp. Could be the nylon glass foot bed they got going. Which confuses me, because if you’re all down with the aluminum binding feel, why the hell would you ruin it and try to make them ride damp like a nylon binding? Whatever, what do I know; I’m not an engineer, just a sales guy. The straps were sick and comfy but man do I have a problem with their barrel ratchets. Hands down the worst in the biz. Yep, claiming it – THE WORST. Troy, I told you this last year, go borrow the ratchets from K2, or something that actually works would ya? I was sitting at the top of the lift ratcheting away and getting nothing when the K2 Sales Manager looks over at me and says “what’s this your first time snowboarding?”
Rome
Graft Wide – These days boards are so dialed that your surprised when someone builds a wide board that rides wide cause that problems been handled long ago. This board rode like a plank.
Anthem – Rome’s best selling deck for a reason, it rips. Everything you’d want in a shred stick.
K2
WWW – K2’s $329 jib stick. Loud graphics, low price point and high volume. I can see why too, rode like a dream for $300 or so dollars. Good to see a ski company gets it now and then.
Nitro
T2 – SICK. Really wicked fucking savage would be the accurate term. Mid wide chassis, rad looking progressive tip and tail profile, evil ass graphics, good price ($429 or so), this was one of my favorites.
Rossigonol
John Jackson 161 with Magna Traction – I was kind of stoked to ride this pig. It has a tip and tail shape like an old George Pappa’s Mistral. Who if you remember did all sorts of crazy ass contortions in the half pipe. Now he does those same contortions in the federal pen as he got busted with coke. “Boy, you be flexible, come here and let me wrestle wit ya.” Back to the Jackson, kind of a cool graphic too. But what I don’t get is that it’s a Rossignol, with a matt finish top sheet and Magna Traction. Isn’t that a Lib Tech or a Gnu? Why the hell would they jump on the band wagon unless they really have nothing going on? The Magna Traction was un noticeable to me until I hit a powder field and then it turned the powder into ice, which I don’t think they intended the shit to do. I should have ridden the Jeremy Jones, which I’ll do next week.
Salomon
Josh Dirksen 159 – I wanted to take out their new stick with this crazy hour glass like side cut but because I’m a fan of those who can tweak their methods I demo'd the Josh Dirkson instead. I got on his stick and was instantly stoked. Hip, here I come. Then bam, I get tossed. Bam, tossed again. One more time and I’m like what the fuck? This sticks riding me and not vice versa. Too much board for me to handle. I’m a pussy. It got dropped off after one run.
Unity
Origin 155 – OP Todd was raving about this stick, so even though it was a 55 I still had to ride it. It confirms my beliefs too, that Pete Wurster from Unity makes some of the best snowboards in the world.
Burton
Uninc 160 and the EST Baseless binding – This is their new Freedom Groove bite that their doing and combo’n it with a new baseless binding. I mean they invented snowboarding and own the market so why shouldn’t they be the ones to push a boulder up the hill with this dated technology shit and then repackage like they invented it?. Aluminum single track Freedom Groove, connecting to an aluminum baseless binding that looks like a wakeboard binding set up is the deal. Sick, where’s my rope? Setting it up was not confidence instilling in the least for me. Actually I was a bit sketched on running the thing. Maybe a bit confusing for this Pollack but once on it, it was very comfortable and rode really nice. I didn’t notice any earth shattering performance with it but it was damn cool. The only problem with the binding is that the spread between the toe strap is really wide like the baseless bindings of yesteryear and my foot kept rolling on top of the base plate. The board was soft and buttery and a heck of a lot of fun to ride. Would I buy it though as my only stick?
Signal
163 Freeride W – again, a wide board that rode like a wide board. I expected more.
Automaton
160 or 61 – This is a tiny company out of Tahoe that’s pretty fucking cool. Rad little story and has a place in snowboarding, when he can figure out how to break in. Which he will, give him time. Boards are coming out of the Elan factory and they ride very predictable like an Elan board does. Support the little guy.
Palmer
Platinum LE – I’ve been dying to ride this stick cause it cost’s like $1900. Almost two grand for a stupid snowboard. I was in a shop in VT this fall and they said that they pre sold 10 of them to some dude from New York that drives up there with his friends in an Escalade. I’m thinking, if they let me ride this, the decks gonna give me a mellow hando the whole time I’m on it. Did it? Hell no, the faggot tried sticking his finger up my ass the whole time. Had to punch him in the face. If I had $1900 to spend on a snowboard, I’d buy 6 $300 boards instead.
Lib Tech
Banana Skate – First off, you gotta take your hat off and salute Pete at Mervin for sticking his neck out and trying to make some different shit. Kinda like Morrow did in the 90's. I loved that company back then. Rob and Neil weren't scared to do some different shiz. The boards rode incredible too, just couldn't stay together. Whatever, the Banana skate is something talked about before on the Tacklebox so no need to get into it again. The fact is that square tires roll slower than round ones even though the square tires look doper. Enough said.
Next week I got to get on the Arbor Element and Crossbow, some Forum shit, K2 Cinch binding, Flow NXT binding and that Solomon with crazy side cut.
Diss-Claimer: The above are my personal opinions of course which aren’t worth a dime except to me who values them at a nickle. So whatev’s take it how you will.
Pulling out my credit card to buy dinners and drinks
Ride with accounts and talk shop on the chairlifts vs. trying to make a ½ hour appointment at Vegas last a ½ hour when you can take care of it in 3 minutes.
Get to know the real hero’s of our business, the shop kids
Watch our reps get shit handled and try to figure out how we can do a better job to make shit easier for them
Get my industry bro on, “yea bud, you’re brands fucking killing it this year!” Slap!
Ride the compititions product and figure out what’s good, bad and or ugly
And lastly as Dave Graves once said, “Go and just be Johan,” whatever that means.
I’ve ridden a shit load of sticks over the last two weeks and wrote down some thoughts:
Ride
Concept UL 59 – Man oh man did I love this stick. Last years favorite board I demo’d was a Burton Custom X (yes I said it) and this thing gave the X a royal spanking. Light, lively, fun and predictable. The Slime wall sidewalls are real tech in my opinion, vs. the bullshit saw blade edge claims. It makes the board feel a lot damper than what you accustomed to feeling when you ride a Ride. It made me feel like a better snow slider, only problem is that it’s $750 or so. Which is bullshit.
Ride Kink – Their price point jib stick at $339 or so is pretty sweet. 3 degree factory bevel on the edges is a damn good idea as this stick is gonna be buttering more muffins than pow and the bevel provides a hang up free alternative to really rounding out your edges.
Ride Binding with adjustable canting foot bed – I don’t know the name of the binding but it’s the new shit that doesn’t have some stupid bandana hanging off it. Has a total base plate covering foot bed made out of nylon and glass that you can adjust some screws and cant the foot bed. Cool idea, just a fucking nightmare to set up. I thought I was setting up a pair of Flow’s when I was mounting these bad boys. Riding wise, the bindings were comfortable as all hell. They didn’t feel like the usual steel girders feeling that aluminum bindings give you. By the way, I fucking hate aluminum bindings. They suck, in my opinion. My fucking teeth filings seem to come unglued when I ride em, but anyway these guys rode really damp. Could be the nylon glass foot bed they got going. Which confuses me, because if you’re all down with the aluminum binding feel, why the hell would you ruin it and try to make them ride damp like a nylon binding? Whatever, what do I know; I’m not an engineer, just a sales guy. The straps were sick and comfy but man do I have a problem with their barrel ratchets. Hands down the worst in the biz. Yep, claiming it – THE WORST. Troy, I told you this last year, go borrow the ratchets from K2, or something that actually works would ya? I was sitting at the top of the lift ratcheting away and getting nothing when the K2 Sales Manager looks over at me and says “what’s this your first time snowboarding?”
Rome
Graft Wide – These days boards are so dialed that your surprised when someone builds a wide board that rides wide cause that problems been handled long ago. This board rode like a plank.
Anthem – Rome’s best selling deck for a reason, it rips. Everything you’d want in a shred stick.
K2
WWW – K2’s $329 jib stick. Loud graphics, low price point and high volume. I can see why too, rode like a dream for $300 or so dollars. Good to see a ski company gets it now and then.
Nitro
T2 – SICK. Really wicked fucking savage would be the accurate term. Mid wide chassis, rad looking progressive tip and tail profile, evil ass graphics, good price ($429 or so), this was one of my favorites.
Rossigonol
John Jackson 161 with Magna Traction – I was kind of stoked to ride this pig. It has a tip and tail shape like an old George Pappa’s Mistral. Who if you remember did all sorts of crazy ass contortions in the half pipe. Now he does those same contortions in the federal pen as he got busted with coke. “Boy, you be flexible, come here and let me wrestle wit ya.” Back to the Jackson, kind of a cool graphic too. But what I don’t get is that it’s a Rossignol, with a matt finish top sheet and Magna Traction. Isn’t that a Lib Tech or a Gnu? Why the hell would they jump on the band wagon unless they really have nothing going on? The Magna Traction was un noticeable to me until I hit a powder field and then it turned the powder into ice, which I don’t think they intended the shit to do. I should have ridden the Jeremy Jones, which I’ll do next week.
Salomon
Josh Dirksen 159 – I wanted to take out their new stick with this crazy hour glass like side cut but because I’m a fan of those who can tweak their methods I demo'd the Josh Dirkson instead. I got on his stick and was instantly stoked. Hip, here I come. Then bam, I get tossed. Bam, tossed again. One more time and I’m like what the fuck? This sticks riding me and not vice versa. Too much board for me to handle. I’m a pussy. It got dropped off after one run.
Unity
Origin 155 – OP Todd was raving about this stick, so even though it was a 55 I still had to ride it. It confirms my beliefs too, that Pete Wurster from Unity makes some of the best snowboards in the world.
Burton
Uninc 160 and the EST Baseless binding – This is their new Freedom Groove bite that their doing and combo’n it with a new baseless binding. I mean they invented snowboarding and own the market so why shouldn’t they be the ones to push a boulder up the hill with this dated technology shit and then repackage like they invented it?. Aluminum single track Freedom Groove, connecting to an aluminum baseless binding that looks like a wakeboard binding set up is the deal. Sick, where’s my rope? Setting it up was not confidence instilling in the least for me. Actually I was a bit sketched on running the thing. Maybe a bit confusing for this Pollack but once on it, it was very comfortable and rode really nice. I didn’t notice any earth shattering performance with it but it was damn cool. The only problem with the binding is that the spread between the toe strap is really wide like the baseless bindings of yesteryear and my foot kept rolling on top of the base plate. The board was soft and buttery and a heck of a lot of fun to ride. Would I buy it though as my only stick?
Signal
163 Freeride W – again, a wide board that rode like a wide board. I expected more.
Automaton
160 or 61 – This is a tiny company out of Tahoe that’s pretty fucking cool. Rad little story and has a place in snowboarding, when he can figure out how to break in. Which he will, give him time. Boards are coming out of the Elan factory and they ride very predictable like an Elan board does. Support the little guy.
Palmer
Platinum LE – I’ve been dying to ride this stick cause it cost’s like $1900. Almost two grand for a stupid snowboard. I was in a shop in VT this fall and they said that they pre sold 10 of them to some dude from New York that drives up there with his friends in an Escalade. I’m thinking, if they let me ride this, the decks gonna give me a mellow hando the whole time I’m on it. Did it? Hell no, the faggot tried sticking his finger up my ass the whole time. Had to punch him in the face. If I had $1900 to spend on a snowboard, I’d buy 6 $300 boards instead.
Lib Tech
Banana Skate – First off, you gotta take your hat off and salute Pete at Mervin for sticking his neck out and trying to make some different shit. Kinda like Morrow did in the 90's. I loved that company back then. Rob and Neil weren't scared to do some different shiz. The boards rode incredible too, just couldn't stay together. Whatever, the Banana skate is something talked about before on the Tacklebox so no need to get into it again. The fact is that square tires roll slower than round ones even though the square tires look doper. Enough said.
Next week I got to get on the Arbor Element and Crossbow, some Forum shit, K2 Cinch binding, Flow NXT binding and that Solomon with crazy side cut.
Diss-Claimer: The above are my personal opinions of course which aren’t worth a dime except to me who values them at a nickle. So whatev’s take it how you will.
What? No review of Venue boards??
ReplyDeleteAll that reading made me forget how gross that picture is. Small bed, two dudes "sleeping" euro style, guts galore. I just threw up a little.
ReplyDelete20 years ago me and "Stick" shared a room in college. Dude still makes time to come get it done in Stratton every year. You should of seen the rest of the room. Mahn soup.
ReplyDeleteyo's shirt is up, dude's pants are unzipped? same bed? what's really going on here? I threw up a lot bit.
ReplyDeleteNose Tremendous has no answer due to shame. The utter shame is overwhelming and he's unable to type at this time. All he can think about is the priest while he was an alter boy and how incredibly soft his hands were hands.
ReplyDelete